Corn-harvester



2 Sheets-Sheet; 1.

H. A. REEVES & M.'W. BOMAN.

CORN HARVESTER.

No. 563,411; Patented July 7, 1896.

(No Model.)

llliiiiijinw n 5E :Q'I: I

(No Model.) r 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. A. REEVES & M. W. BOMAN.

001111 HARVESTER.

No. 563,411. Patented J111y7, 1896.

3 v9? Reeves UNIT D STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

HENRY A. REEVES AND MARIAN W. BOMAN, OF PLYMOUTH, ILLINOIS.

CORN-HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,411, dated July '7,1896. Application filed February 2,1395. Serial No. 537,117. (No model.)

'0 all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that we, HENRY A. REEVES and MARIAN W. BOMAN, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Plymouth, in the county of Hancock and Stateof Illinois, have invented a new and useful Corn-Harvester, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to corn-harvesting to provide means for adjustingthe various parts of the machine to secure the most efficient operationthereof and adapt the mechanism to the character of the crop to be cut.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a corn-harvestingmachine constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a sideview, partly in section, of the same to show the means for adjusting thecutters and the stalk-guides. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectionthrough the point of connection between the front end of the frameworkand the supporting-sled.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The main frame of the machine comprises a transverse beam 1, providedwith terminal spindles 2, upon which are mounted the ground-wheels 3,and parallel longitudinal beams 4, arranged adjacent to each other andupon opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the machine, saidbeams being secured near their rear ends to the under side of the maintransverse beam andextending slightly in rear thereof, for a purposehereinafter explained. These longitudinal beams are connected at theirfront ends by the rocker 5, having a convex under surface to bear uponthe rear transverse beam 6 of a sled 7, said sled having parallelrunners 8, which are connected at their rear ends by said bar 6 and neartheir front ends by a similar bar 9. Rising from the front transversebar 9 is a standard 10, to the upper end of which is secured across-piece 11, and pivotally connected to the extremities of thiscross-piece are the rear ends of the shafts 12, this elevation of therear ends of the shafts preventing the stalks, which are thrown inwardor toward the machine, from forcibly depressing the shafts andinterfering with the movements of the horse. The whiflietree 13 isconnected to the standard 10 below the plane of the cross-piece 11.Furthermore, the laterallyextending portions or arms of the cross-pieceare connected to'the center of the rocker 5 by means of the inclinedtension-braces 14, the connection between said braces and the rockerbeing by means of a bolt 15, which performs the function of a king-bolt,in that it forms the connection between the rocker and the rear bar ofthe sled, said connection being loose in order to allow independentlateral rocking movement of the sled and the main frame of the machine.

Mounted in bearings 16 upon the longitudinal beams 4, in front of themain transverse beam 1, is a rock-shaft 17, said shaft being reduced toform journals to fit in said bearings, and secured to the rock-shaftnear their rear ends, and upon opposite sides, respectively, of thebeams 4, are the knife-supporting arms 18, said arms inclining outwardtoward their front ends and extending in rear of the rock-shaft foradjustable attachment to the main beam 1. 19 are also arranged ininclined positions, with their rear ends contiguous to and slightlyabove the plane of the beams 4, the rear ends of said knives or cuttersbeing secured to the rock-shaft while their front ends are supried bythe main beam 1 contiguous to the rear ends or extensions of thesupporting- The knives or cutters arms 18, and are connected by adjLlStlllg-bOl'DS 22, which engage openings in said brackets. The heads ofthese bolts bear upon the upper surfaces of the upper brackets 20, andnuts 23 which are threaded upon the lower ends of the bolts bear againstthe lower surfaces of the lower brackets 21, the intermediate portionsof the belts, or those portions between said brackets, being threaded inperforations 24 in the extensions of the supporting-arms, whereby whenthe bolts are turned the inclination of the supportingarms may be variedto bring the front ends of the knives or cutters at the desired distancefrom the surface of the ground. The openings in the upper brackets 20are longitudinally elongated to accommodate the rocking movement of theshaft 17 during adjustment.

Hinged to the front ends of the supportingarms are the stalk-guides 25,the same being extended in rear of their points of connection and beingengaged by adjusting-bolts 26 which engage registering perforations insaid extensions and in the supporting-arms, and by the adjustment ofthese bolts the front ends of the stalk-guides maybe depressed at theirfree ends more or less below the plane of the supporting-arms to arrangethem at the desired distance from the surface of the ground. The inneredges of these stalkguides are rounded and inclined with relation to thelongitudinal center of the machine, in order to bear against the outersides of the stalks and draw them inward to pass between thelongitudinal beams 4 and the relativelyinclined knives or cutters, andinasmuch as the knives or cutters cut inward or toward the machine itwill be seen that the outward inclination of the stalks facilitates theoperation. This is due to the fact that the weight of the tops of thestalks is utilized to prevent the stalks from being thrown over themachine by the pressure upon their outer sides. The guides 25 serve topick up those stalks which have fallen outward.

Arranged upon the parallel beams 4 are the seat-standards 27, supportingthe seat 28, a tool-box 29 being arranged below the seat and betweensaid standards, and connecting said beams in front of the seat is atransverse bar 30, which serves as a foot-rest for the driver and isextended laterally to form deflectors 31, which are disposed contiguousto the outer surfaces of the beams 4 and are inclined outward towardtheir rear ends. These deflectors tend to throw the tops of the stalksoutward just as the front ends of the knives or cutters come in contacttherewith, in order to insure the prompt severance thereof. Thesedeflectors are designed especially to affect the stalks at the innersides of the rows, or those whichincline inward or toward the machine.

After the stalks have been severed they fall to the rear over therock-shaft and are caught by a skeleton frame or cradle 32, comprising afront bar 33, which is supported by the rearward extensions of the beamsat, parallel connecting-bars 34, which are attached at their front endsto the main beam 1 and the front bar 33, and a rear bar 35, which issupported by the rear ends of theconnectingbars 34;, the upper edge ofthe rear bar being concaved to prevent lateral displacement of thestalk-tops. The rock-shaft is provided with terminal upstandingguard-pins 36, and the main beam is provided with outwardly and upwardlyinclined wheel-guards 37, to prevent the stalks from moving laterallyand coming in contact with the ground-wheels; also, rising from thecenter of the rear bar of the skeleton frame or cradle is an upright 38,which is connected at its upper end with a fixed portion of the mainframe-as, for instance, a connecting-bar between the seatstandards by aninclined bar 39, which serves the function of a brace, and also as apartition-guard to prevent the severed stalks of one row from becomingentangled with those of the other row.

It will be seen that the skeleton shocking frame or cradle is supportedsolely by the main transverse beam at the extremities of which arearranged the groundavhcels, and that, therefore, the weight of thestalks deposited in the shocking frame or cradle partly counterbalancesthe weight of the front portion of the main frame, whereby when theshocking frame or cradle is fully loaded the weight thereof does notdepress the front portion of the machine and thus add to the draft byincreasing the frictional contact of the runners with the soil, butreduces said frictional contact and approximately balances the machineupon the ground-Wheels. The result of this action is the reduction ofthe draft of the machine.

It will be understood that in practice various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof this in- Vention.

Having described our invention, we claim- 1. In a corn-harvester, thecombination with a main frame and supporting-wheels, said frameincluding a main transverse beam and forwardly-extending longitudinalbars arranged upon opposite sides of the center of the frame, of arock-shaft 17 mounted in bearings upon said longitudinal bars in advanceof and parallel with said main beam, supporting arms 18 secured atintermediate points to the rock-shaft, knives or cutters secured attheir rear ends to the rock-shaft and at their front ends to thesupportingearms and inclining outward toward their front ends,stalk-guides carried by and extending in front of the supporting-arms,and adjusting devices supported by the main beam and connected to therear ends of the supporting arms whereby the inclination of said armsmay be varied with the knives or cutters, sub stantially as specified.

2. In a corn-harvester, the combination with a main frame andsupporting-wheels, said main frame including a transverse main beam IIOand forwardlyextending parallel bars arranged upon opposite sides of thecenter of the frame, of a rock-shaft mounted in bearings upon saidlongitudinal bars in advance of and parallel with the main beam,supporting-arms secured at intermediate points to the rock-shaft beyondthe outer edges of the longitudinal bars, adjusting devices carried bythe main beam and connected to the rearward extensions of thesupporting-arms to vary the inclination of said arms with relation to ahorizontal plane, knives or cutters secured at their rear ends to therock-shaft and at their front ends to the supportingarms, stalk-guideshinged to the front ends of the supporting-arms for movement at theirfront ends in vertical planes,and adjusting devices for varying theextent of deflection of the stalk-guides from the planes of thesupporting-arms, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a main frame and supporting-wheels, offorwardly-extending supporting-arms, knives or cutters arrangedcontiguous to the supporting-arms, stalkguides hinged at points betweentheir ends to the front extremities of the supportingarms to swing invertical planes, the upwardswinging movement of the front extremities ofsaid arms being limited by the contact of the rear ends thereof with theupper surfaces of the supporting-arms, and bolts connecting the rearends of the guides with the supporting-arms to limit thedownward-swinging movement of the guides, the extent of depression ofthe front extremities of the guides being regulated by the adjustment ofthe bolts, substantially as specified.

4, The combination with a supportingframe and ground-Wheels, thesupportingframe including a transverse main beam and forwardly extendinglongitudinal bars, of cutting apparatus arranged in advance of the mainbeam and upon opposite sides of said longitudinal bars, parallellongitudinal bars 34 extending rearwardly from the transverse main beam,a transverse bar 33 arranged in rear of the main beam and equal inlength therewith, a rear transverse bar 35 supported by the bars 34 attheir rear ends and spaced from the bar 33, and a standard 38 risingfrom the center of the rear bar 35 and connected by a tension-brace withthe frame, substantially as specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures 5 5 in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY A. REEVES. MARIAN W. BOMAN.

\Vitnesses:

J. A. WEAR, T. T. KENNEDAY.

